Review: Columbia Creek Tennessee Whiskey
When settlers pushed into central Tennessee during the late 18th century, they required a powerhouse capable of conquering rocky soil and hauling heavy timber across punishing ridges. The mule, a cross between a male donkey and a female horse, became the backbone of this expansion. These animals offered more strength per pound than horses, remained…
Growing Up Islay: Meet Ardbeg’s New Distillery Manager Bryony McNiven
You may have missed the news that Colin Gordon left Ardbeg Distillery last year to return to his roots in malting on the mainland. Succeeding him in his role as Distillery Manager is Bryony McNiven, a daughter of the island with a very Ardbeg-heavy resume. Her father was a longtime stillman, and she has spent…
Review: El Tesoro Mundial Collection: Yamazaki Edition
El Tesoro’s Mundial Collection continues with this fourth version, the tequila distillery’s first collaboration with the House of Suntory. El Tesoro Mundial: Yamazaki Edition brings together three masters of distilling: Carlos and Jenny Camarena, the former and newly appointed Master Distillers of El Tesoro, and Shinji Fukuyo, The House of Suntory’s fifth-generation Chief Blender. Known…
Review: Escasa Tequila – Blanco and Reposado (Updated 2026)
Luxco isn’t dancing around the premium nature, or price, of its newest blanco tequila. Even the name, Escasa, means “scarce” in Spanish. The details, per the brand: Crafted in Los Altos de Jalisco, Escasa Tequila is dedicated to the opulence of scarcity, the result of hundreds of years of knowledge distilled into one bottle. Founded in 2024 by renowned fourth-generation…
Review: Buzzard’s Roost Four Grain Bourbon
Buzzard’s Roost Whiskey arrived on the scene in 2019 under the guidance of founders Judy Hollis Jones and Jason Brauner. From the outset, the brand created a clear identity through secondary maturation in custom toasted barrels coopered by Independent Stave Company. These 53-gallon new American white oak casks feature staves seasoned outdoors for at least…
Review: Isle of Harris Gin
Founded in 2015, Isle of Harris Distillery is one of the UK’s most remote distilling operations. And with a total island population under 2,000, it’s also a business of note, at max capacity employing about 1 out of 40 people on the island. While the distillery has several whiskies in distribution both in the UK…
Review: Tincup Bourbon 10 Years Old
Tincup continues to confuse with dueling releases of its American Whiskey and Bourbon lines — both with and without age statements, including releases at 6 and 10 years old. Today we’re looking at an additional link in that collection of whiskeys, Tincup Bourbon at 10 years of age. Like the NAS Tincup bourbon, this is…
Review: Woodford Reserve Barrel Strength Rye
I don’t expect a lot of confusion over the genesis of this product — it’s a full proof version of Woodford’s winning rye, which is bottled at the brand’s standard 90.4 proof. Literally nothing else has changed with this release except it isn’t watered down from the 125.1 proof it reaches in the barrel (or…